‘We can’t just push them back to sea’: Experts stayed with rare, beached sperm whale as it was euthanized

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC/Gray News) – Beachgoers in Georgia found themselves in shock after a sperm whale beached itself on the shore of Hilton Head Island Sunday.

The whale was still alive as beachgoers like Ann Marie Atkinson gathered around to look at it.

“I’ve always wanted to see a whale but not like this. This is sad,” she said.

Roland Mims was also on the beach that day.

“It’s a legit whale; you don’t see this every day,” he said.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric istration (NOAA) have led efforts to keep the whale comfortable.

Clay George, a marine animal biologist with NOAA, said sperm whales are part of an endangered species. He said this one that washed ashore is smaller than normal.

“It’s stranded, it’s very skinny and it’s a long way from where it should be, from its normal habitat. So, unfortunately, there’s no way we can release the animal,” George said.

He said it has likely been unwell for weeks.

With only about 4,000 of its kind left on the U.S. East Coast, this one is a rare sight, especially in South Carolina.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been eating well, it’s possible it could have a disease, it’s possible it could be injured,” George said. “We don’t know what the cause is, but what we do know from past experiences is that we can’t just push them back to sea or they’ll just wash up again down the beach somewhere else.”

Experienced marine mammal teams sedated and euthanized the whale late Sunday night, according to Hilton Head Island’s Facebook page.

The equipment that was used was sourced from Florida and istered by a veterinarian from the University of Florida.

An examination of the body will follow and then the whale will be buried.

“These animals can ingest plastic, they can get hit by vessels, they can become entangled in fishing gear,” George said. “We don’t know that. We can’t tell that or know if it was natural causes unless we can do an exam on the animal.”

The community at Hilton Head is full of comion for what they call a product of Mother Nature.

“To see one like this is very interesting, but it’s also very sad at the same time,” Beth Wasdin, who watched the whale Sunday, said.

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